Keeping it Local: Part 2

Last week, I talked about how I love having visitors in town because I get to eat out and show off Athens. This past weekend, my mom was in town so I got to do the whole visitor thing all over again.

As usual, one of my favorite things about the parents coming to town is going to the nice restaurants that I can't afford on my own (East-West, Porterhouse, Farm 255, etc.). However, this time I decided to take Mom out to some of the fun local attractions Athens has to offer. 

We went to one of my old favorites, the Terrapin Brewery, to meet some friends and enjoy the local beer.  I hadn't been to Terrapin in awhile, but I've never seen it so busy!  The parking lot was absolutely packed and the line at the taps was a mile long the whole night.  But as usual, it was a fun outing and I love the laid back attitude everyone has there.  Not to mention, where else can you go for live music, good beer, and even leave with a souvenir glass for $8? If you have yet to go to Terrapin, go soon - they're open for tours and tastings Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 5:30 - 7:30.  They seemed to be in between seasonal beers right now, but I would imagine soon they'll have their spring beers available for tastings.  

*If you want to see what you've been missing, there are videos on the Athens Convention & Visitors Bureau's blog from my internship last semester

We also went to Urban Sanctuary for facials (what kind of *girls weekend* would be complete without facials?).  My roommate recommended the spa after getting a massage there a few weeks ago, so we decided to check it out.  Urban Sanctuary is one of those cute, homey places in Athens that is located in an actual house - which I love! The facials were awesome, and the whole atmosphere of the spa made you feel right at home.  

And finally, we went to Cine - which I've been meaning to do for years.  They have some great movies playing right now (Milk, Revolutionary Road, & The Reader - we saw Milk) and if you check out their website you can see all the cool events they have each week.  Aside from the cool indie feel of the theater, it has cheaper tickets than traditional theaters in town AND a full bar - not to mention, it is connected to The National (which I have yet to go to but I hear is amazing).

This weekend made me realize there's more to "keeping it local" than just eating in local restaurants.  I'm definitely planning to spend my last two months in Athens experiencing as much of the local culture as possible.  

Snow Day!

So today was my first real SNOW DAY!  Growing up in Florida, the most excitement we got as far as school being cancelled was hurricane days... but those were mostly spent putting up hurricane shutters and taking them down 24 hours later since Sarasota never got a bad hit (knock on wood).  In my four years at UGA, we've had class cancelled maybe once for ice on the roads, but nothing could compare to the snow storm that hit Athens yesterday.  According to the Athens-Banner Herald, we got 6.5 inches but I'd be willing to bet it was closer to a foot! 

It was pretty and exciting at first, but I'm not going to lie I lost a little bit of my love for the snow when it took away my power last night, and I still had yet to get my internet back until a few hours ago.  If nothing else, this snow storm made me realize how much I truly rely on technology!  With no internet access, I had to call my parents to check on school being cancelled today.  I barely knew how to use the phone book to look up our cable company to check on repairs because I'm so used to looking everything up online!  Also, once the novelty wore off I wasn't too excited about being trapped in my house since I was scared to drive on the icy roads.

All complaints aside, Athens is beautiful covered in snow and I'm looking forward to many snow days in my NYC future.

Keeping it Local

One of my favorite things about Athens is the wide variety of local restaurants.  I love all of the unique places that you will only find in Athens, and am especially reminded of this whenever I have friends come to town.  It's easy to take for granted our vibrant downtown scene (and lets not forget all the amazing places on Prince Avenue), which is why I love taking visitors out around town and hearing them rave about how amazing our town is.  

This weekend, I had some friends in town and was so excited to take them to two of my old favorites, Last Resort and Casa Mia, and then we also branched out and went to Big City Bread for breakfast (which I've been wanting to go to for ages).  There's just something so much more enjoyable about going to the quaint, local places than eating at chain restaurants (since I moved to Athens I've avoided Chili's at all costs).  

Now more than ever, it's important to support these local businesses.  During an economic downtown, chances are the corporate giants can sustain themselves much longer than the small "mom and pop" stores that we know and love.  Branch out from your regular Tall Latte at Starbucks and try something from Walker's.  Or if you're really wanting to keep it local, do your shopping at the Athens Farmers Market or eat at restaurants like Farm 255 that use all locally-grown food.

Of all the things I'll miss about Athens, the unique restaurant and bar scene will definitely be one of the hardest to leave.  

Athens College Track

My PR Campaigns class (which I've mentioned in several posts) has done a good bit of research about how UGA students can get involved and give back to the Athens community.  Recently I heard about an organization in town that is doing just that, and I wanted to take a minute to talk about what they have been doing.

Athens College Track, a partner of College Bound Aid, was created to inform students and parents about the financial issues involved in education post-high school.  Athens College Track also makes scholarship information easily accessible to students.

This morning, Athens College Track sponsored The College Track Game, a life-sized board game designed to teach students about the importance of saving for college.  Two weeks before the event (which was hosted by Clarke Central High School), students competed in an essay contest, answering the question, “Why do you think college students graduate with debt? How can you start early to avoid this situation?”  The top three essay candidates competed in The College Track Game, which was modeled after the game of LIFE and taught students how to prepare for college in a fun, interactive way.  UGA athletes were there to cheer on the students and speak about the importance of a college education.  The game’s winner received a scholarship from Horizon Staffing.  Athens–area professionals were available after the game to talk to students about different career options.  

As we have discussed in our Campaigns class, one of the biggest causes of poverty is a lack of education.  Athens has an extremely high drop-out rate, but of those students who make it to their high school graduation, not many get the opportunity to continue on to college.  This campaign is great because it focuses on getting students information on scholarships and financial aid, and letting students (those in poverty or otherwise) know they can go to college. 

I wish I could have gone to see the event myself, but unfortunately I had to go to class (after missing them all on Friday for Real World I figured I should go today).  Here are a few pictures from today's event, which can also be found on Athens College Track's online news room.

Great job to PRSSA's 2009 Bateman team (Selena Robinson, Stephanie Perrett, Carrie Edwards, Erin Gentry, Leslie Emanuele) for planning and putting on this amazing event!

Real World Session 4: Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

The last session of the day was the hardest to choose - they all sounded so interesting (Sports & Entertainment PR; Travel, Tourism & Hospitality PR; More than "Invitations 101": Event Planning).  These are all the cliched "fun" parts of PR, and they have all interested me at one time or another.  The girls and I agreed on Travel, Tourism & Hospitality, which featured Amy Ballenger-Guest (Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau), Meghann Gibbons (Georgia Aquarium), Caroline Sanfilippo (InterContinental Hotels Group), and Melissa Libby (Melissa Libby & Associates).  Each of the speakers explained their backgrounds and gave information about their respective jobs, all of which are very different under the huge "hospitality umbrella" of PR.

The business I was most familiar with was the Charleston CVB, because I interned with the Athens CVB last semester.  CVBs are interesting because they're a sales force for the whole industry - they see the big picture in a city.  In order for all of the other hospitality-related businesses to do well, the CVB has to be doing its job and bringing business to the community.

The InterContinental Hotels Group represents InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, and Candlewood Suites hotels all over the world.  A typical day working for IHG includes a lot of writing and phone calls, but there's also a lot of crisis communication involved as there is in any big corporation.  Time management can be difficult in this kind of setting, because you have a lot of people from different levels asking you to do things for them.

Melissa Libby runs her own PR firm which focuses on restaurants in the Atlanta area.  Her background was in hospitality, so when she opened her own agency she immediately started getting clients in hospitality.  She spends a lot of time strategizing with clients and talking to the media.

The Georgia Aquarium, as one of Atlanta's biggest tourist attractions, has a great deal of people working in its PR department (as I previously mentioned, it sounds like such a fun place to work!).  Like any PR job, it's far from 9-to-5 and there is always something exciting going on. They have done a lot of cool things lately over there, from a Martha Stewart book signing to having the Sci-Fi network come tape an episode of Ghost Hunters in their Titanic exhibit (for more Aquarium news, check out my friend and classmate Stekki's blog about her intern experiences there).

And that concludes my experience at Real World! I had the best time, met a lot of great people, and am so glad I took advantage of the experience. Anyone who has the opportunity to go next year, it's definitely worth it.  

Real World Session 3: What Your Professors Didn't Tell You About Your First Job

After lunch, we went to a session about the real experience you'll get in your first job.  Speakers included Rebecca Treacy-Lenda (UPS). Carrie England (Jackson Spalding), and David Jones (William Mills Agency).  Each of the speakers had a main point to make, and then opened it up for questions from the students. 

Here are my notes of the most important points:

• Just because you're graduating doesn't mean you stop learning - be a student in your first job!
  
• Throughout the first several years of your career, continue to work on building your personal brand.
  
• PR is more than just the traditional activities you learn in school - you do deal with money and create value for your form.
  
• It's very important to understand office politics in order to fit in at your first job.
  
• Our generation is typically perceived as one that expects things to be handed to us, lacks face-to-face communication skills (especially in light of the social media movement), and is unwilling to put in our time and pay our dues.  Be aware of and overcome these stereotypes!
  
• When you ask questions, ask the right person (ie: don't ask the VP where to find the stapler).
  
• An entry-level position is usually just a very small step up from an internship - you may still have "busy work" tasks, but this is so you'll understand the "why" behind everything the firm does.
  
• You have to be able to prove you can excel at the basics of your job before you can expect to be trusted with bigger responsibilities.
  
• Know the environment you're working in, and feel the company out during the interview to find the right fit for you - ask people why they like working there.
• Make an impression, even if you have to suck up a bit - make sure you gain respect from the beginning
• In the first 6 months of your job people pay special attention to you - dress appropriately (even more formal than the rest of the office), be on time (or early), make all of your work (even "drafts") flawless.
• Network at every level.
• Ask for feedback, but don't sound needy.  
• A good boss should be involved in your work but you may need to take the initiative to make them aware of what you're doing.
• Have an idea of what you want to do even beyond your first job - set clear goals that are not client/job specific.
• Take initiative - generally you won't just be handed more responsibilities unless you demonstrate you're prepared for them.

Real World: Lunch Break

After a full morning of information sessions, we got a lunch break and another chance to network. We got a table near the front of the room and were joined by several girls from the Georgia Aquarium (I swear everyone I meet that works there is so friendly and happy, it must be a fun place to work!).  

After lunch was served, Heather Oldani, the Director of U.S. Communications for McDonald's, spoke about how McDonald's has used social media.  Ms. Oldani opened the discussion by admitting that McDonald's is still learning how to utilize various social media tools, but went on to discuss various initiatives they have had success with.  One of the most interesting things to me was the effort they are making to monitor what people are saying about McDonald's online.  For example, did you know that on average someone writes about McDonald's (online) every 5 seconds?  I'll admit I didn't know much about McDonald's in general, let alone their social media use, so the panel was pretty interesting and informative.